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Hiking is a priority for BYU-Hawaii students because it’s one way to take advantage of their time here and appreciate the earth, students said. Noelle Oldham, a junior art education major from Florida, said, “As people, we need to take the time we have on this earth and experience it. We never know when our time will run out, and we won’t get to soak in the beauty.”

Oldham shared, “One of my personal favorite hikes on this island is Waimano Falls. When I first went there, it was all downhill. Then when you get to the end there’s these rope swings that you jump into the water with and swim around in, which was really refreshing after hiking. It was also kind of nice because it was a fairly easy hike and really pretty the whole way down.”

In addition to Waimano Falls, Oldham said she also enjoys hiking the Lanikai Pillbox trail because of the graffiti art on the pillbox and how hikers can interact with it through climbing. She said, “It’s a really simple and easy hike with an amazing and very iconic view of those two islands when you get to the top.”

Bo Schwenke, a human resources senior from American Samoa, said the Makapu‘u Tide Pools is his favorite thing to do on Oahu. The hike is off the main path of the Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail located on southeast Oahu. According to Schwenke, the trailhead of the hike is located halfway up the lighthouse hike trail near a section of stationary binoculars. “Don’t get me wrong, the lighthouse part of the hike is really pretty and worth going on, but the tide pools on the side of the cliff are just amazing and so worth seeing.”

“It’s not easy by any means to get there, but it’s so worth the journey. I think the beauty in the hike relies on the danger of it too. Like to get to the tide pools, you need to essentially go down this huge cliff. Everything down there seems so small, and you look at these little blobs moving and you realize, ‘Oh those are people!’ But when you do eventually get there, you realize how far you came and how amazing the colors of the ocean tide pools really are.”

Growing up in the military has allowed Izy Kongaika, an undeclared sophomore from Japan, to experience the beauty of hiking all around the globe. “Every part of the world has its own kind of beauty, and I think it’s important to recognize how important nature is in our lives. You definitely can’t go outside year-round in most parts of the world, so appreciate that you can here.”

Schwenke said, “You don't get to see the full beauty of the island if you don't go looking for it. Try and put the effort in experiencing things like hiking or exploring nature. It doesn’t have to be hard.”

One reason to go hiking is to become part of the world around you, said Oldham. “You see all these pictures online or on social media, and it’s really nothing until you go out and experience those pictures. The beauty of the outside is just a story until we go out and see it with our own eyes, then nature truly comes alive.”

“I really love Hawai’i for that reason, other than the culture. You should go out and explore and live the world around you, especially when it’s just this beautiful.”